• by Fern Siegel , October 19, 2022

Scandic Hotels Group just launched a new communication concept, “Your Friend in Town.”

The largest hotel company in the Nordic countries, with more than 270 hotels in 130 destinations, "Friend" is its first major ad campaign in four years.

The creative, by ad agency Drum, runs in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland and Germany on digital channels, displays, cinemas and outdoor ads. It focuses on the personal attention and services guests can enjoy.

The hotel giant is posited as a welcoming friend to make travel -- and/or your day -- easier. Sometimes, a stay is as simple as  getting a full-night's sleep in a lovely setting. The work suggests a hotel night doesn't have to involved a journey or major expense.

"The hospitality industry has had a tough time, but the fact that guests have returned so quickly is clear proof that people want to travel, meet and get together. This is why we’re so happy to be increasing our visibility again and launching a joint campaign in all of our markets — the first in quite some time," says Marcus Hammarström, brand and marketing director,  Scandic Hotels Group.

The ad augments a new brand platform Scandic launched earlier to reach new guests.

"With this new communication approach, we’re aiming to convey this and create a stronger bond with guests who may visit Scandic less often," says Emil Thelander, managing director at Drum.

For the first time, the "Friends" campaign will feature the Nordic Swan Ecolabel, which works to reduce the environmental impact from production and consumption of goods.

Scandic has been collaborating with the Nordic Swan Ecolabel for nearly 30 years, and in 2022 and 2023, all of Scandic’s ecolabeled hotels will be re-certified based on tougher environmental criteria.

In its Q2 report, the company reported its occupancy rate rose from 39% in Q1 to 63% in Q2 and has seen continued clear increases in room rates in all markets. Scandic’s RevPAR (average revenue per available room) returned to the same level as in the corresponding quarter 2019, which was a record year for the company.